Ever get the feeling you have the accelerator pedal floored but are not
getting full throttle? Assuming your throttle cable is properly
adjusted, you may have a worn accelerator pedal bushing. This bushing
is located in a loop on the end of the linkage arm attached to the
accelerator pedal. The stock A1 bushings were made of a foam rubber and
an upgraded solid rubber one is available for the A2s as a replacement.
Over time, even the upgraded rubber bushing deteriorates and eventually
disintegrates, like the one below did. Did you ever find a pencil in an
old desk drawer and try to use the eraser only to have it crumble to
pieces? Well, that is what happens to the rubber bushing given 5-10
years.

A. New bushing vs. stock

B. New bushing installed

C. 3D Printed Bushing

In the image A above, you can see the remnant of the OEM bushing
on the right. While replacements are available, Missing LinkZ wanted
something better. So we machined out a replacement bushing out of some
Ultra-High Molecular Weight Poly-Ethylene (UHMW-PE). This is a direct
fit for the stock A1 or A2 bushing (see installed image B, but
will not age like the rubber bushing. It is also a stiffer material
than rubber, so you won't have the sponginess of the stock bushing.
Bushing is ~17mm in diameter and ~8mm thick plus a ~2mm flange to fit
the hole in the upper end of the accelerator pedal.

Note: Some vehicles, including the 16V engine models, may have a
significantly smaller diameter loop. If you have such a vehicle.
contaqct us prior to ordering with a measurement of the inner diameter
of the loop. We'll see if it's possible to print you a custom sized
bushinhg. See installation notes below for
other options,

And to improve on a good thing, we're now introducing a new 3D printed
bushing made of a tough Nylon6 material, a pair shown in image C
above. The 3D printed part provides a number of advantages over the
original UHMW part. First is the tolerances are tigher on this part,
typically to 0.2mm (200 microns). This is because UHMW is hard to
machine in such a small size since it is both slightly soft and very
slippery. And third, the 3D printing process lets us add small features
such as the tiny rim on the small end. This protrudes about 0.5mm fron
the main diameter to allow for a press fit into the hole in the
accellerator pedal. It should give enough to be popped into place. And
since there is some variation in the size of that hole, the Nylon6
material is more easily sanded down to size than the UHMW. And if the
hole in the pedal is slightly oversize, the Nylon6 material is more
easily glued in place than the UHMW. All in all, this is a better
material for this bushing, giving more installation options and with
the same durability of our original UHMW part.

While I like working on my VW, I don't like working on the same part
every few years, I want to fix it once and have it last. I've now run
run the prototype bushing for over 12 years now and it has no signs of
wear.

Please refer to the following notes for installation. Unless requested,
no printed installation notes will be shipped with the bushing.

A: Removing lock washer

B: Lock washer and washer

C: Installing accelerator

D: Installing bushing

Since the new bushing material doesn't compress like the stock rubber
bushing, it's designed to be a press into the hole in the accelerator
pedal. The new 3D printed Nylon6 bushing has a small lip around the
small end to facilitate pressing into place. This makes it much more
like the OEM rubber or foam bushing.

Probably easiest to do with the accelerator pedal removed from the
vehicle

If your vehicle has A/C, you may find the heater vents are larger and
higher up than the one pictured above (C). In that case,
removal and reinstallation of the accelerator pedal may be difficult.
It may be a better idea to use a pair of pliers, vice grips or a clamp
to press the new bushing into the end of the pedal arm.

If you can't find a way to press it in, use a file or some sandpaper to
reduce the OD of the lip on the bushing a little so its no longer a
press fit, then slip it in and glue it in place.

Note: Some vehicles, including the 16V engine
models, may have a significantly smaller diameter loop. If you need to
remove alot of material, chuck the bushing up in a drill, using a
4-5mm" bolt, and then spin the bushing against a file or coarse
sandpaper to reduce the outer dimension to fit your vehicle.

If (and only if) you need to remove the accel. pedal
from the bracket to install the new bushing, you can use a screwdriver
to gently pry off the lock washer on the end of the accelerator pedal
shaft (see photo A above)

Be careful, the lock washer can fly off and get lost
very easily!!!

If lost the VW p/n is: N-012-327-6 (or equivalent), a new one is NOT
included with the bushing kit (see photo B above)

It is easiest to slip the pedal shaft out part way, then remove the
outer nylon bushing, then pop the inner bushing free and pivot the
pedal assembly free of the bracket, disconnecting the throttle cable
before removing it.

Important note: If you find you have to really
force the pedal assembly to remove it, realize that it may be even
harder to put it back into the bracket, so you may want to consider
replacing the bushing with the pedal assembly in place.

And if you can get the bushing installed with the
pedal in place, you are all set, no need to mess with removing the
pedal from the bracket!

Note that the hole for the throttle cable can be slightly offset from
the center.

This allows for fine tuning the pull on the throttle cable. In the
picture above, I put the hole closer to the top, to give a slightly
longer cable pull, as I was not getting enough throttle travel on my
diesel injector pump. If the hole is offset to the front, you'll keep
the same travel and down will shorten the travel.

Install the inner nylon bushing and get the accelerator pedal shaft
into the bracket (photo C
above), this is a tight fit and you may have to use a
little force to get it into the hole.

Slide the shaft in and through both holes in the bracket and install
the outer nylon bushing, washer and lock washer (see photo D above)

It is also a good idea to check your throttle cable adjustment at this
time, especially if you had changed it before replacing the bushing.

Since this bushing material has very little compliance, you need to
make sure that the throttle cable is not hitting the throttle stop
before the pedal hits its stop.

If it is, you could stretch the cable.

Adjust the throttle cable by loosening the retaining nut under the ball
stud and move it in or out along the throttle arm as needed.

In some applications, a custom-sized bushing may be required. If you
think you may need one, contact us for more details with the link
below. We'll need a fairly accurate measurement of the inner diamter of
the loop on the end of the throttle pedal. With our 3D printer, we
should be able to make a custom size part in a few days.